This invention relates generally to a carrier accessory and more particularly to a cargo and storage apparatus for mounting to the rear exterior of a vehicle, especially a mini-van, so as to provide a novel and convenient enclosed container useful for carrying items such as suitcases, garment bags, sports equipment, tools, spare tires, fuel, etc.
Van-type vehicles now come in various sizes and shapes. Recently, there has been introduced into the market a vehicle referred to as a "mini-van". This type of small van has an inherent problem in that it often lacks sufficient space, particularly when used as a family vehicle or a recreational vehicle. It has been found that such compact interiors do not provide extra space for storing all the needed items including stoves, refrigerators, bedding and other paraphernalia. Such extra storage space, however, must provide ease of access to the stored items as well as ready access to the two types of conventional rear door structures employed by van manufacturers.
The two most common rear door arrangements are the use of two rear doors which are hinged at their outside edges and swing toward the center of the rear opening of the vehicle, and a one-piece lift gate which is hinged along the upper edge of the gate so that it opens upwardly above the vehicle roof line.
Accordingly, when located adjacent the rear doors, the additional storage container must allow for the respective door arrangements to be fully operable and accessible to the rear of the vehicle interior.
Various types of storage devices and carrier accessories have been tried and used. However, these devices have features that limit their use and restrict access to the rear of a vehicle.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,858 issued to George Lawroski wherein the invention comprises a carrier accessory for vans that is so designed as to deliberately prevent access to the vehicle through the rear doors thereof. The container utilizes a bracket adaptable to vans which must be used in conjunction with the existing hinge brackets of the vehicle's rear doors with a supplemental support from a frame or bumper member.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,862 issued to Merle M. Bettenhausen, there is disclosed an automobile rear baggage container which is removably mounted to the rear bumper of the automobile and includes a pair of forwardly extending straps securing the container to the rear wheel wells, with an additional strap extending from the bottom wall of the container and connected to the rear bumper. A pair of vertically extending walls and a generally horizontally extending wall are slidably mounted to the box and extend forwardly engaging by magnetic means the automobile rear surface to provide a streamlined configuration between the automobile and the container.
Other types of storage containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,762,758; 3,202,332; and 2,597,656.